Smurfs (comics)
See the article Smurfs (comics) at Smurfs Wiki for full details and other related links. For the universe that their Johan and Peewit stories take place in, see Smurfs Prime (location). For the universe that the stories in their own comic book series take place in, see Smurfs Comic Book Universe (location). The Smurfs (French: Les Schtroumpfs) is a comic and television franchise centered on a group of small blue fictional creatures called Smurfs, created and first introduced as a series of comic strips by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo (pen name of Pierre Culliford) on October 23, 1958. The original term and the accompanying language came during a meal Peyo was having with his colleague and friend André Franquin in which, having momentarily forgotten the word "salt", Peyo asked him (in French) to pass the schtroumpf. Franquin replied: "Here's the Schtroumpf — when you are done schtroumpfing, schtroumpf it back" and the two spent the rest of that weekend speaking in schtroumpf language. The name was later translated into Dutch as Smurf, which was adopted in English. Origins At the time he came up with the creative idea for the Smurfs, Peyo was the creator, artist, and writer of the Franco-Belgian comics series titled Johan et Pirlouit (translated to English as Johan and Peewit), set in Europe during the Middle Ages and including elements of sword-and-sorcery. Johan serves as a brave young page to the king, and Peewit (Pirlouit, pronounced Peer-loo-ee) functions as his faithful, if boastful and cheating, midget sidekick. In 1958, Spirou magazine started to publish the Johan and Pirlouit story La Flûte à six trous ("The Flute with Six Holes"). The adventure involved them recovering a magic flute, which required some sorcery by the wizard Homnibus. In this manner they met a tiny, blue-skinned humanoid creature in white clothing called a "Schtroumpf", followed by his numerous peers who looked just like him, with an elderly leader who wore red clothing and had a white beard. Their first appearance was published in Spirou on October 23, 1958. The characters proved to be a huge success, and the first independent Smurf stories appeared in Spirou in 1959, together with the first merchandising. The Smurfs shared more adventures with Johan and Pirlouit, got their own series and all subsequent publications of the original story were retitled La Flûte à six Schtroumpfs (also the title of the movie version of the story, which in English became "The Smurfs And The Magic Flute"). With the commercial success of the Smurfs came the merchandising empire of Smurf miniatures, models, games, and toys. Entire collecting clubs have devoted themselves to collecting PVC Smurfs, and Smurf merchandise. Empath: The Luckiest Smurf stories While the EMPATH: The Luckiest Smurf story series is mostly based around the cartoon show up until around Season 5, it does include characters that were created specifically for the comic book series as well as adaptations of some comic book stories such as "The Smurfnapper", which is considered the canonical introduction of Gargamel over Season 5's "Gargamel's Time Trip". In-universe, Peyo would create the comic strips based on knowledge of their existence from the Artifact Of Memories, which in turn would lead to their being made into a cartoon show and a live-action/CGI-animated movie. Smurfs Prime The comic book version of The Smurfs And The Magic Flute as well as all the Johan And Peewit comic book stories, including the ones featuring the Smurfs, take place in the Smurfs Prime universe. Category:Smurfs media